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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Khur" data-source="post: 2011609" data-attributes="member: 5583">AlignmentI’m a freelance editor for Wizards of the Coast. I had no involvement with the making of the Shadows of the Last War, nor do I have any stake in its success or failure. This review contains fewer spoilers than the marketing blurb on the back of Shadows of the Last War.Initiative RoundShadows of the Last War is the first 32-page adventure released for the Eberron Campaign Setting. It is a staple-bound softcover with a color cover and black-and-white interior. A separate short story, Death at Whitehearth, is included with the adventure, detailing an occurrence at one of the adventure sites before the end of the Last War. Eberron creator Keith Baker wrote the adventure and story. The package retails for $9.95.Physical production value has always been Wizards’ strength, and Shadows of the Last War is no exception. The layout, art, and maps are all good. The cover is by Wayne Reynolds and would have been better if the graphic design had facilitated being able to see more of it. A few more maps, such as one of Rhukaan Draal (or even just the Bloody Market), would have made the module more useful, especially since the inside cover is totally blank in this volume.The adventure itself carries on the action started in The Forgotten Forge—the scenario included in the Eberron Campaign Setting. 2nd-level heroes take on the task of helping the enigmatic Lady Elaydren d’Cannith recover parts of a schema for manufacturing some secret weapon. This time, the explorers have a monumental task. They must enter the Mournland, uncover the location of a hidden House Cannith enclave (Whitehearth), and acquire an item located inside. Doing so requires the characters to travel from Sharn to Darguun, into the Mournland, and back to Sharn. More than one nefarious group stands in the way, as do the dangers of Darguun and the Mournland.Shadows of the Last War provides a complete structure for the adventure and more than enough for a creative DM to turn into a personalized campaign piece. That type of personalization is really required here. Like the adventure path provided by the modules released during 3rd Edition (Sunless Citadel, et al), Shadows of the Last War needs some smoothing and filling in by the DM’s able hand. This isn’t something you can use off the cuff. In no way do I consider this fact a weakness, because adventures always require preparation and customization.Critical HitThe central story in this adventure is good. It provides all sorts of great points that would make the scenario a good movie or novel—and a few things that make it a good Eberron supplement. There are cool opponents, situations in which wisdom is more important than sword arms, exotic locales, puzzles and obstacles that make sense, and excellent rewards. Inside, the DM also gets a good look at aspects of the campaign used creatively, new magic items (including an elemental vehicle), and even a new spell that’s essential to the story. Some preparation by the DM will make the framework provided by Shadows of the Last War a memorable journey. I will use this adventure in my Eberron campaign and with only a few changes.Critical FumbleThe editing for Shadows of the Last War is fair at best and some of the rules presented in the Eberron Campaign Setting appear to have been ignored. In the first part of the adventure, a situation is presented in which the Search skill must be used in a way that makes a lot of sense for an experienced DM, but violates the parameters of and limitations imposed by the Investigate feat. Treasure and rewards seem to far exceed the challenges offered by the adventure, even though some of those challenges seem too dangerous even with the consideration of action points. Some undead in the scenario have mysterious bonuses to their hit points that are either in error or lack adequate explanation. Finally, the climax of the adventure just barely avoids robbing the heroes of some form of victory (which would violate Keith Baker’s own recommendations in his Dragonshards column), and only because of luck on the part of the heroes and foolishness on the part of the villain.Coup de GraceShadows of the Last War is a good adventure. Some of the mechanics usage, statistics, and the balance of challenges and rewards are questionable—a DM who’s a stickler for such things needs to be careful. The module will only be used once by any single gaming group, but it provides more than one thing that will live on in the campaign. An attractive book, Shadows of the Last War is priced right for the entertainment value it is likely to provide. If you’re looking for a useful scenario that reveals some of the nuances of the Eberron setting, Shadows of the Last War is for you.Review originally appeared at <a href="http://www.d20zines.com" target="_blank">d20 Magazine Rack</a>.</blockquote>

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